


Work Mates

by Coffvcremer



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bottom Tony Stark, Do not post to another site, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Dates, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Slow Burn, Top Stephen Strange
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:42:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21517651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffvcremer/pseuds/Coffvcremer
Summary: Tony likes Stephen. A little...okay, maybe a lot. But he can't do anything, he knows that. But when Stephen tries out new work attire, Tony is thinking he's at wit's end.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 5
Kudos: 179





	1. New Uniform

Tony landed close to the battle, his repulsors charged, and ready to go. The alien was huge, tentacles with sharp blades emerging from the end, whipped around frantically as it tried to escape the rest of the crew.

Wanda, Scott, and Peter were on the ground, trying to contain it as best they could. Steve, Nat, Bucky, and Sam were helping citizens evacuate, fighting some of the creature's minions on the way.

"So, anyone have any idea what the hell this is?" Nat called over the comms, running with Steve.

"No idea," Tony answered, landing on a nearby building, eye level with the alien. He started to blast it with his repulsors, but it didn't receive a mark.

"This dude is a little tougher than he looks," Peter calls, trying to rope some of its tentacles together to no avail.

"A little?" Sam responds, flying up to get a better look. "This dude is nothing like I've ever seen."  
"...Do you see a lot there, Birdie?" Bucky responds, jumping down from a fire escape, gun cocked. 

"I will shove that gun so far up your-"

"Focus on the mission, boys, we got a kid on comms!" Tony interrupted.

"I'm 17!" Peter shouted, dodging a tentacle blow. 

"Not you. Scott."

"Thank you, Tony Tones!" Scott said, waving up at him.  
"For the last time, don't call me Tony Tones."

"....Toner?"

"Uh, Tony, I think we're a little overwhelmed here," Wanda called, shooting the creature back.  
Just then, as he timed it himself, that son of a bitch stepped through one of his sparkly orange portals.  
Tony looked over and froze. 

The wizard wasn't wearing his usual attire. The dark blue pajamas were replaced with a skin-tight black, leather unitard, a white pattern running up his front.  
Tony never knew the man had curves, so many- 

"Tony, look out!" Steve screamed over the comms, just as a tentacle came soaring through the air.  
He tried to dodge it, but he wasn't quick enough. The creature sent him flying into debris, smacking his head against some brick.  
Then everything went fuzzy, he tried to sit up, but the pounding just got worse whenever he moved. 

"Tony, you alright?" Nat asked, concerning spiking in her tone over comms.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, think so." Tony shakily answered, closing his eyes for a moment. Bad idea, stay awake. His throat was coated in dust, making him cough and hack.  
"Don't worry, Tony, we're finishing up. Strange got the monster transported." Steve said over the comms a little later.  
That hot prick already got it taken care of? Shit.

Tony sighed, laying his head back against the debris. He closed his eyes once again. The moment he did, he started to drift off.  
"You should know this by now not to sleep," A smooth, deep voice stated, startling Tony just a tad, also making him blush.  
He opened his eyes and looked up at the man standing there, looking down at him. 

"Can you hear me?" Stephen asked, his voice still firm and oh, so sexy.

"Y-yeah, yeah," Tony answered, his voice anything but sexy, it was choked and raspy, his throat still caked in dust.  
But now that he was up close to the wizard, he got a good look at the new suit, and he does like it a lot more at this angle.  
The leather was clean and shiny, clinging to his like skin as if it were wet. The necklace he had draped around his neck gave a good transition shot of his broad, sculpted shoulders.  
Now back to the curves. Tony has only seen Stephen in uniform and on rare occasions, the sweater, and jeans. But he has never seen Stephen like this, on full display.  
With every dip and bulge, just out there. Inticing Tony.

And not to mention the muscle. 

Stephen was ripped, which caught Tony off guard. The magic man was wearing a six-pack and wearing it proudly. This alone made Tony's head spin.  
He wanted to touch Stephen, to feel him, to see if he can explore the heat of his body from the suit.  
Okay, he needed to control himself. He hasn't suppressed his hidden feelings for Stephen and honestly just wants to get the man to bed to see what he can do. But this isn't the right time.

As Stephen kneels down to tony's eye level, the engineer had to stifle a moan. Just the look Stephen gives him turns him on.  
The gaze of sharp blue, green, gold eyes, staring back at him, his neat hair, dangling a strand on his forehead, white streaks, paving the sides.  
God, that man was hot.

"Tony, can you see me, anything blurry?" He asked, calmly, sending blood straight to Tony's groin.  
Why was he so aroused? He usually was whenever he was around Stephen, but this took it up a notch. The suit probably.  
That suit is gonna kill Tony.

Tony makes a soft nod to Stephen, bordering on consciousness by now. Stephen just nods and stands back up.  
"I'll be back." He instructed, before running off. His ass looked perfect too. When Tony looked at Stephen's feet, he nearly swooned. Heels. At least three inched heeled boots, up to the knee, slipped onto Stephen.

He was aching.

When Stephen came back, he assessed Tony. His touch was gentle and soft, melting the mechanic slowly. He was so used to the wizard being high and mighty, taking down aliens with just a blast of magic and controlling water at his bidding. He never expected his hold to be so tender.  
This just made him pine for the man even more. Stephen left again to round the rest of the team up, leaving Tony alone with his emotions.

All of them made his head pound even harder, and he shut his eyes again. He then quickly fell in unconsciousness, just as Stephen came running back with help.  
"Shit," He muttered under his breath. He checked Tony's pulse and tried to wake him softly. To no avail.

"Is he alright?" Steve asked from behind the wizard, his tone thick with concern.

"He'll be fine," Stephen assured the rest of the group. "I need to take him back to the Sanctum, so I can run some tests."

Steve hesitated a moment, looking down at Tony before back at Stephen.  
He hasn't known the wizard as long as he'd like to allow him to carry off one of his friends to an unknown location. But he knew the man was good and a doctor, he was sort of desperate anyways. What with Bruce with Thor and Steve wasn't entirely sure Tony would make it back to the compound.

"Fine," Steve confirmed, the edge coming back to his voice. "But I don't want you trying any stuff on him."

Stephen frowned but didn't say anything and let the rest of the team walk off. He carefully picked Tony up and stepped through a portal to the Sanctum.


	2. Recovery

Tony woke to the sharp pain that flowed throughout his body, his squinted in the dim light of his unfamiliar surroundings, cataloging anything that deemed threatening.  
He was in a bedroom. One that felt warm and cozy, lone curtains draped over the windows, shielding the sun that would've poured into there.   
The covers he was under were thick and heavy, weighing him down in a sort of calming way. He couldn't make out anything else in the faint lit room, but he had a hunch, this was the Sanctum.

It confirmed his suspicions when the door opened slowly. 

"You're awake," He stated, his voice a little too loud for Tony. His head was still pounding heavily, but the rest of his injuries were gone, the pain going with them.

"How long was I out?" Tony asked, his voice nearly unrecognizable. It was hoarse and raspy and a bit slurred, probably from the drugs. It felt like there was dirt still covering his throat.

"A few hours, we've kept you sleeping so you wouldn't fuss during testings."

Tony snickers lightly and watches at Stephen gently check on Tony, holding his hand and head, his neck. His hands and fingers were surprisingly warm. Soothing.   
Tony shut his eyes and hummed deeply, sinking into the bed. It was an impulse. He couldn't control it, it just slipped out, unconsciously.  
Stephen paused a moment, making the smaller man drown in a puddle of regret and embarrassment, his cheeks and neck burned, but he didn't open his eyes.  
But the feelings dissolved, once Stephen continued feeling along the back of his head.

"You don't have a concussion anymore we healed a bit of it, you might feel some pain throughout the few days though," Stephen replied, as Tony's eyes opened.   
He just nodded at the doctor in response.

That made Stephen smile. It was a small smile, but it reached his eyes. It was warm and peacefully, even his sharp eyes softened to a degree.   
He was smiling that way, at him, at Tony. Oh my god, this is how Tony dies.

In a magic house, with a hot sorcerer giving him a cork lipped grin. 

"You're pretty," Tony said, a bit slurred. 

Tony would've blamed it on the atmosphere, on the maybe magic here, on the drugs he was probably on. Whatever reason it was, it wasn't his fault.  
Okay, yeah, it was his fault. 

Regret immediately bubbled in his chest once again, embarrassment soon mixing with it.

Then Stephen laughed, something he has never done in the history of their friendship. It was amazing. Light yet deep and baritone, practically lifting the air from the room, leaving Tony's chest to constrict.

Stephen was never really expressive with his emotions when he was with the team. Even when he would have dinner at the compound, that Tony invited (forced) him to go. He didn't speak much, and when he did, it was short brief sentences, mostly answers.

"Thank you, Mr. Loopy." He said, still chuckling a bit. He conjures a glass of water and a straw and holds it to his lips. 

"Now, drink, you're dehydrated,"

Tony sat up a bit, wincing slightly and took the water. He watched Stephen for a moment, reading his gaze. But like always, it was blank and unreadable.   
He sighed softly. Wishing he could say something. 

Stephen put the glass by the bed once Tony was finished and looked back at him, his sharp gaze, flowing back into his eyes, making Tony feel a bit self-conscious. An odd sensation.  
"wha-" Tony swallowed thickly. "what are you doing?"

Stephen narrowed his eyes for a moment before and started to lean closer.

Tony's heart rate shot up immediately, the back of his neck almost on fire. His mouth went dry too as he watched the man intently, suddenly aware of his disheveled hair and beaten up appearance.

Was Stephen going to kiss him, right then and there? 

Stephen then stopped abruptly and pulled away, flatten his already slicked-back hair.

"Nothing." He said, "I just wanted to make sure your pupils aren't dilating."

Tony nodded slowly. That sounded reasonable enough, he was a doctor, after all. He was advanced in that kind of stuff. But something else itched at the back of his mind.

"Yeah, good, that's- good, that's good." He responded with in the end, not wanting to make this any more awkward as it feels, probably just to him, but he could also sense the tension thicken in the room.

It cut when Stephen got up from the edge of the bed.   
"I'll leave you be." He said formally, his gazing shifting a bit this way and that. "Get some rest."

"I've been unconscious for hours," Tony said. 

He smirked, "Isn't that the same thing?"

Stephen's lips twitch, and he sighed, not an annoyed sigh or an uncomfortable, awkward one, a fond sigh. That made Tony's heart skip a beat.  
"No, now shut up and go to sleep."

Tony watched Stephen walk to the door and suddenly stop. His back was still to the engineer, but Tony could see he wanted to say something. A small spark of hope flickered in his chest.


	3. Pay You Back

"Are you sure?" Tony asked for the third time, as he followed Stephen down the Sanctum stairs.

"Tony, I'm a doctor, this is what I do," He replied, growing tired of the smaller man.

It took a few days for Tony to recover fully. When he did, he had been bugging Stephen about repaying for what he had done for him.  
Also, considering he was healthy enough to go back to the compound he sure as hell didn't want to. He liked spending time with Stephen as much as he did.  
He needed to repay him. Just to be able to be with him a little more.

God, he sounded pathetic.

"Yeah, yeah, you're good at your job and wizarding, you didn't have to though, but you did, and I'm grateful, so I need to repay you on some level,"  
Stephen walked into the library and started levitating books to him, acting like Tony wasn't even there.

The engineer huffed, "please?"

Stark's were not one to beg. But this wizard man brought something out in him, something he hadn't felt in years, if at all. He wanted to beg for him. 

He soon grew desperate, anxiety bubbling in his stomach, he was losing the man. 

For all, he knows he wouldn't see the man for weeks. 

"How about dinner?" Stephen suddenly asked, setting a book down and looking over at Tony.

"Tomorrow night, at six?"

Tony's mouth went dry. Dinner? With him? Dinner with him? 

More thoughts collided in his brain, making him lightheaded.

"Sure, yes, yeah," Tony replied, ignoring his sweaty hands.

Stephen nodded once and went back to his book, letting Tony breathe.

"I'll- I'll see you at six, then." 

The wizard nodded again and levitated a book back to the shelf. Tony half stumbled out of the Sanctum and took a deep breath, his lungs were on fire, his head still spinning.  
What the hell just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's a little short! I'll be short to update quick!


	4. Pep Talk With Brother Rhodes

Okay, what did he mean by dinner?

Tony was nonstop thinking, pacing in his lab. His thoughts raced, thumping in his ears as he tried to comprehend what Stephen had meant.  
Was it just dinner? Was it something more? Did Stephen choose something to get Tony off his ass?

Tony was having what Peter calls Gay Panic.

Tony should stop telling his life problems to a seventeen-year-old.

He continued to pace, biting his lip and spacing out.

He didn't even notice Rhodey walk in. 

"...What's going on, Tones?" He asked, slowly inching closer to the pacing man.

Tony whipped around, ready to attack, his fingers on his arc reactor.

Rhodes held up his hands and gave a slightly nervous chuckle.

"Stand down, jumpy it's just me." He said.

Tony nodded and dropped his hand before going back to pacing.

"What's got you so worked up?" Rhodey asked, hopping on one of Tony's work desks. "Is it something serious?"

Tony stopped pacing and sighed. 

He had been friends with Rhodey for years and had recently started expressing more of his feelings, venting. He liked it-it turns out.

"It's Stephen," he said, after a moment of pure hesitation.

"You still got the hots for him?" Rhodey asked, smirking.

Tony just glared and continued.

"I wanted to repay him for helping me recover, and after a few minutes of pestering him, he asked for dinner."

Rhodey stilled a moment, thinking.

"He wants to go to dinner with you?"

Tony nods.

"...Well, I say that's a win, Tones." Rhodes said, picking up a packet of work and flipping through it.

The engineer sighed, collapsing in a chair.

"Well, what if it's not?" 

Rhodey looked at him for a moment before sighing as well, closing the packet.

"How do you mean?"

Tony sighed and folded his fingers together. He thought about all the possibilities, most of them incredibly irrational, but to him, it's rational. He solely doesn't know.

"Well, what if it's a date?" Tony asked, sitting up a bit. Even the thought made his hands sweaty.

"Then, you're in, Tones," Rhodey said, looking at Tony.

The engineer bit the inside of his cheek.

"Well, what if it's not?"

Rhodey fell silent again but then slowly nodded.

"Then you can get to know the guy more, maybe soon, you'll get to go on an actual date."

Tony frowned. 

"What if he isn't...interested in me?"

The words tasted sour in his mouth, his heart aching the minute he heard them. 

It wouldn't be a surprise that Stephen did like him in that way. It doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt any less.  
Rhodey saw the confliction in his friend's face and hopped off the table. He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly. Tony was in love. Rhodey knew it. He didn't want to tell Tony though because there's a high chance he doesn't know.

And, most likely doesn't want to.

"It's dinner, whether it has meaning or it doesn't."

Tony looked up at Rhodey and nodded, sighing through his nose. He looked back at his hands, contemplating once again.  
Rhodey watched a moment, squeezing Tony's shoulder to bring him back to the present.

Rhodey knew Tony enough to know he gets too lost in the future and past. It's just how the man is. Sometimes, he's gone for hours, staring at nothing in particular, twiddling a pen between his fingers.

Simple gestures can get the man back to the surface, a squeeze of the shoulder, a poke, or hair ruffles. Bucky usually does the latter. 

"Don't be weird," Rhodey instructed.  
Tony looked up at him and glared half-heartedly.

"Wow, great advice."

"You're welcome." 

Tony looked away, ready to space out again.

"Just have fun, be yourself," Rhodey stated.

"Thank's dad," Tony smirked up at him. 

Rhodey whacked him upside the head.


	5. Anxiety

Stephen texted Tony at 4 pm: Meet at Il Cortile. Tony raised an eyebrow at his phone.

Il Cortile? Really? He didn't want to judge, he just responded with okay and began to brainstorm whether he can still rent the place out and bribe everybody off.

Just then, as if Stephen read his mind, he texted Tony again: Don't try to rent it out. I'm ahead of you.

Now, Tony was even more confused. How did he rent an entire restaurant out? Does the Sanctum have a giant money stash they hide? Is Stephen a secret billionaire? What the hell is happening?

Tony took a deep breath, shaking off the excess anxiety, dangling from his fingertips. He was acting crazy. Stephen most likely took care of everything. Tony just needed to relax. It would just be them, having a nice dinner, talking. Tony can stare at Stephen's beautiful face all night, try to make him laugh again.

Tony didn't know what it was. What got him so riled up whenever he was around Stephen, what made him like him. He's seen plenty of good looking, talented, and, well, tall people. But none of them made Tony feel the way he felt when he was around Stephen when he looked at Stephen when Stephen looked at him. At first, it was a small crush, just a little spark he had. He knew it would go away.

That was eight months ago.

The feelings were only getting stronger. Then he was able to ignore it, to push it down, and be able to talk to him like a standard person.

But now he can't even talk to the doctor without getting butterflies, stumbling over bad jokes, or going into cardiac arrest. He hasn't done the last one yet.

Tony rolled his eyes. He was acting crazy again.

He pushed the anxiety down and blew a sigh. It's just dinner.

* * *

He had parked his car a few blocks away from the restaurant and just sat there, thinking once again.

Passers-by were still around as the night grew dark, twilight enveloping the sky above.

What if this wasn't just dinner? What if it was? If it was just dinner, then that's fine. Tony was okay with just sitting across from him, making him laugh and looking into his sharp blue and green eyes all night.

He looked around at all the citizens and sighed again. He was anxious about another thing too. Paparazzi. They always spotted him, no matter where he was and no matter who was with him. They came with their giant cameras and chucking questions at him.

But as he got out of his car, no one came up to him. Not even a tourist that passed by with his family.

He thought it was odd, but thankful at this strange occurrence and ignored it.

As he arrived at the restaurant, he saw Stephen standing there on the curb. He was sporting a soft red sweater and jeans. It made Tony's entire insides melt into jelly.

When he was walking up to Stephen, he was greeted with a warm smile. The same smile Stephen had given him when he was being taken care of in the Sanctum. His insides solidified again only to be melted once more.

"Did you like my touch?" Stephen asked, his smile forming into a friendly but sly smirk.

Tony raised an eyebrow for just a brief moment, but then everything clicked. Not one person looked at him on his walk to the restaurant, one person even yelled at him for fixing his shoe on the sidewalk.

He smiled at Stephen. "tell me how you did it." He said as they entered the restaurant, Stephen holding the door open for him.

"It was a simple mirror spell. You know, disguising ourselves at normal new yorkers, just having a night on the town. The spell doesn't last long, but it's enough to eat our fill and get the hell out of here, in time."

'Get out of here'. Tony stored that away for later.

"You know, your magic isn't all sketchy." Tony joked as they were seated.

Stephen laughed, sending sparks soaring through Tony's nerves.

"I'm glad you see it that way, I don't want you of all people to think my magic as sketchy."

Tony stored that too.

"Oh, wizard, what is that supposed to mean?" Tony asked, mockingly intrigued, but deep down, it was genuine.

Stephen rolled his eyes, most likely at the nickname.

"I take it back." Now, Tony laughed.

"Sorry...Sabrina."

Stephen took a sip of his water.

"Better."


	6. Official Da- Dinner

Tony's anxiety quickly dissolved as he dove deeper into conversation with Stephen. He realized how different it was talking with him in a dimly lit restaurant, sharing a bottle of red wine, compared to trying to bug him during a mission. The man was more open, he smiled more, laughed more. The entire time Tony was caught in his emotions, listening to Stephen talk about his family and past. The man was interesting, even without the magic. And he was a farm boy, which Tony did not see coming.

"Wow, Vincent, the farm boy," Tony said, smirking.

"Never would have guessed."

Stephen rolled his eyes fondly. "Watch it, Edward."

The engineer just chuckled into his wine glass as he took another sip.

It was weird how comfortable he felt talking with the wizard, he thought the dinner was going to awkward and quiet, but it wasn't. The man was pretty funny. It felt nice to be there, with him, smiling and laughing. He hadn't done that in a while. He missed it.

All of a sudden, they both went silent as Stephen's gaze fell on the mechanic once again. His gaze wasn't piercing but soft and warm, making Tony extremely self-conscious. He was suddenly aware of the scent of his cologne and the way his jeans felt on his knees. How his shoes put pressure on the heels and how much gell he had in his hair. The anxiety started again, and he took a deep breath.

"You alright?" Stephen asked, raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning from warm to concern in a matter of moments.

It made butterflies erupt in the smaller man's stomach.

"Definitely." He answered, smiling back, which he swears got Stephen's cheeks to flush pink.

"Good," He replied, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.

Tony wanted to run his fingers through his dark brown hair.

"So, what made you pick dinner?" He asked, distracting his sudden urge to climb over the table and stick his tongue down that doctor's throat.

"Mainly to get you out of my hair." Stephen joked, smirking.

He hesitated, gently tracing a shaky finger around the rim of his glass.

"But, I _did_ like the idea of talking with you in a different setting beside a battlefield and my bedroom, while you're loopy on med-magic."

Tony's face and neck immediately burned up.

"I was in your room?" Stephen swallowed and hesitated again.

The man _loved_ to hesitate.

"Well, yes- yeah, yes, I thought it would make you more...comfortable and less...freaked out by the sudden... _secondary_ location." Tony nodded slowly, hoping desperately that his blush doesn't surface.

"Yeah, I don't- I don't- like those." A different of silence blanketed them, an awkward silence, uncomfortable silence.

Then Stephen snorted and started to chuckle. He closed his eyes, his chuckle deepening until he was laughing.

At first, Tony was utterly confused and bewildered. Then he began to chuckle too. Soon they were both cackling up a storm, other patrons, turning and looking at both of them.

They kept laughing, Tony watching Stephen, his heart skipping a beat as he saw the once professional, stone-faced, hardcore, badass, sorcerer he knew, become a giggly, snorting mess in front of him. He officially adored this side of him. He didn't know what they were laughing at, but he would kill to hear Stephen laugh forever.

"Oh, god." Stephen sighed, dying down to a low chuckle.

"Apologies, that was..."

Tony chuckled as well and smirked, " _spontaneous_?"

The wizard nodded.

"Thought you were used to that, though?" Tony replied, playfully smug.

Stephen laughed again, "you would think."

* * *

The rest of the dinner was perfect. Once they both finished and had fought over the check, the night was late, and the temperature dropped. The moment Tony stepped outside, the cold hit his chest and arms like a brick, a shiver shooting up his spine. He crossed his arms around himself tightly, but it did nothing.

"Chilly?" Stephen said amusingly.

Tony glared, not bite behind it, and shuddered. "N-no."

Stephen chuckled deeply, and slipped off his sweater, handing it to Tony. Tony started to protest.

"Then you'd be cold, and wouldn't have gotten anywhere,"

"Magic is boiling my blood I'll be fine." The wizard argued.

That was concerning to Tony, but he took the sweater anyway and slipped it on. It was still warm from Stephen's body, and he inhaled quietly. It smelled of him. It scented of old books, and wood, green tea also making the smell calmer. Usually, Tony wouldn't like the smell. He would've called it ancient and not his taste, but it somehow eased everything, made his mind clear, and soften a bit.

"Better?" Stephen asked, snapping Tony back to reality.

Tony nodded, chuckling softly and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "Thanks."

The wizard just nodded back. "Wanna take a walk?"

"Sure."


	7. A Soft Walk

The park was quiet and almost empty as they walked side by side down the paved walk. It was the perfect atmosphere for this. For them.  
They both walked in silence for a while, their shoes the only sound between them.   
Tony had to walk fast to keep up with Stephen. He was sure the wizard didn't notice this considering it was his normal stride, and Tony didn't object, he liked to watch Stephen's legs, something about them was so hot to the engineer. The slenderness, the muscle, how they moved. All of it.  
Tony had to push his thoughts down quickly and distract himself, or else his urges might become unbearable.

  
"How long does this disguise spell of yours last for?" Tony asked, breaking the silence.

  
"A couple of hours," Stephen replied, "we'll see when it fully wears off when people start gawking."

  
Tony chuckled. "You get recognized?"

  
Stephen shook his head, "Not as much as you, but people I help on the regular, usually stop and chat."

  
Tony felt a spark of envy of the man's life. Not being noticed except by friends and acquaintances sounded like paradise compared to the press that practically shove their microphones down his throat. Let's just hope the paparazzi don't see him with Stephen. Not that he's ashamed more he would hate to have Stephen caught in the middle of it.  
He knew the wizard was familiar with it all, having been a famous surgeon, but he's sure he hated it before as well, and going back to it so quickly is most likely nerve-racking.   
"Must be nice," Tony replied with, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

  
Stephen nodded, "it is. Although, most of the people that know me...are not people."

  
Tony snorted and chuckled, causing Stephen to crack another warm smile. 

  
They locked eyes with each other, just for a split second, and everything stilled. It sounds cheesy, but Tony swears his heart stopped then and there. Nothing else mattered all of a sudden, just Stephen. Stephen's hair, Stephen's eyes, Stephen's face.  
Stephen.

  
This has happened before. Frequently actually. It would be quick, during meetings, mission clean up, general talking in the compound.   
Stephen would look over at the man, his eyes drifting over and stopping on Tony. It looked casual like it wasn't meant to happen. But Tony felt that Stephen knew he was watching him. Looking at the wizard at any chance he could get. He would be subtle about it, of course. But something was different about Stephen. Mostly because Stephen knew all of this too.

  
Tony swiftly turned to Stephen. His heart pounded in his ears, only causing his thoughts and blood to race even more. He wasn't thinking, though.  
Just about Stephen.

  
It shattered when they heard an audible gasp from a few yards away. 

  
Uh oh.

  
"Shit. The spell wore off." Stephen hissed and grabbed Tony's wrist, hurrying into a quickly crafted portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be adding tags as the story goes on so watch for them!


	8. Getting Home

Tony stumbled after Stephen, pressing his hands into the wizard's chest for support. 

He looked up at Stephen for a moment and tried to smirk through his blush.

"Hi."

Stephen's face quickly went to stone and shifted a nod to his left.   
Tony chuckled lightly, but his face dropped when his eyes fell on Bruce and Natasha, sitting in the living room, staring back at them.

He pushed away, bushing to his chest. 

He hadn't been this embarrassed in years.

".....Hello to you guys too." Tony said surprisingly smoothly, considering he was shitting bricks.

Bruce nodded, biting back a smile, and Natasha just smirked, chewing on a granola bar.

He looked back at Stephen and smiled again, ignoring the blush that he was sure was more significant than ever.  
God, he should make a joke. Just a witty remark to lighten the mood. Maybe cool it down too, he couldn't think of any though, his mind was rushed and fogged, his breathing became a bit uneven. If he had a panic attack right then and there, he wouldn't survive his next encounter with the wizard. 

"I'll be off," Stephen said to Tony, conjuring another portal.

Tony swears he could see a smile in Stephen's eyes just before he stepped through the portal.

"Had fun on your date?" Natasha quipped, through a mouthful of granola.

"It wasn't a date I just wanted to repay him for taking care of me," Tony argued, pointing at the agent half-threateningly.

Bruce stifled a silent chuckle, hiding his mouth behind his hand.  
He thought he was slick.

"You were looking into each other's eyes pretty deeply," Bruce remarked, clearing his throat right after. 

Natasha's smirk widened, and Tony blushed even more. 

He felt as if he was under a microscope.   
He was aware that Bruce and Nat were pulling his leg. But something clicked in his brain. He never really had a plan when Stephen confessed to him. If he ever would. Then again, Tony came to terms with the fact that Stephen was married to his work and didn't seem like the type to be involved that way, whatsoever.

"Very funny." Tony shot back, his mind not yet clear for a well thought out comeback. 

Steve then entered the living area with a box of cereal. "What's going on?" He asked, looking around the three.

"Nothing, Tony had just gotten home from a date with the wizard," Natasha replied before Tony could even open his mouth. Now, this is how he would die.

"A date, with Strange?" Steve raised an eyebrow, but his lips quirked up at one end.

"Oh my god, I hate all of you," Tony mumbles, and storms off to his lab.

"No, you don't!" Nat shouted after him.

Goddammit, why did she always have to be right?


End file.
